How Long
by Serenity984
Summary: All they have is each other and hope...but it that enough to continue to live on the island? How long can hope keep them alive? This is a story of when the new inhabitants start to doubt hope. Bonus:They get to try and solve a murder.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't believe this!" Taylor shrieked and stomped out of the tent she shared not only the girls but now the boys as well.

"Now what?" Daley placed the fruit that she and Nathan had gathered in the heavy jungle of tropical plant life that surrender their camping area.

"It's Taylor." Nathan strolled next to the redhead and shrugged his broad shoulders, "Can't see where it could be something of importance."

"Whatever it is we are about to find out." Daley watched as the slender girl made her way to where they stood.

"Daley what are you going to do about this?" Taylor held up her sleeping bag.

"About what?" Daley blinked at the blonde.

Taylor had the odd idea that everyone should know what she was talking about with out actually pointing anything out.

"This!" Taylor shook the sleeping bag in front of her friend as though that would make anyone understand her clearer.

Daley shook her head and looked over at Nathan for help.

"Well…um." Nathan shook his head, "Not a clue."

"What!"

"Seriously Taylor. We don't see what the problem is."

"Well duh! It isn't a problem you can see!" Taylor rolled her huge blue eyes.

"Ah, that would be the reason we don't see it!" Nathan folded his arms in front of him.

"Go figure." Daley felt the corner of her lips turning upward.

"It smells!" Taylor watched both of their face expression. What is wrong with these people! She is stuck at a beautiful island with the foulest companions in the world!

"Isn't that your sleeping bag?" Daley asked.

"Yes."

"Well then the smell is your problem." Daley said slowly.

"My problem?" Taylor blinked and pointed to the tent. "No you see this material wouldn't stink if it wasn't in that…that fowl air contraption!"

"Yeah well…it is still your sleeping blanket and it is your problem."

"I can't sleep in this!" Taylor wrinkled her nose.

"Well then I guess you have a problem, don't you."

"No. No, see I do not have a problem because you are going to solve it. I mean that is why you are here, right?"

"No. I am here because the plane we were traveling in crashed." Daley rolled her eyes.

"I know that." Taylor looked over at Nathan. "But the tent now stinks because of all these sewer smelling bags!"

"I don't think it's that bad." Nathan grinned until Taylor waived her sleeping blanket under his nose. "Whoa, that's bad."

"Exactly! That is my point. I make a purpose to air my bag out every day." Taylor glared at her two friends. "But other people that I am forced to share a sleeping space with do not share the same consideration."

"What do you want?" Daley asked.

"I want air fresheners and I want shampoo for my hair with conditioner! I want sand to stay out of my shorts, I want someone to poke Eric in the eyes so he would stop spying on me, I want the salt water out of the sea, I want a damn donut," Taylor sniffled, "and I want to go home! But that isn't going to happen, is it?"

Daley and Nathan exchanged glances noticing the indicial frowns on each other's face.

"No I didn't think so. So instead I want you to make it a rule that everyone air out their blankets!"

Slowly Daley turned her attention to the blonde. "We will and we will go home." She nodded her head as though that would make everything true.

"It just takes time." Nathan placed his hand on Taylor's arm to reassure the young girl. "They have search planes out now and boats!"

"A lot of boats." Daley nodded her head again.

"Spot lights all over the place." Nathan licked the bottom of his lip. "Radios, search planes, boats, they are doing everything they can to find us and they will find us, Taylor. They will."

"How do you know that?" Eric came up from behind them and held up his hand. "No. No. You two always want to think rational and be prepared for the worse, so let us now speak of our situation openly and honestly."

Nathan snorted at the word "honestly". The world sounded cold and fictional coming out of Eric's mouth.

Eric glanced at the two who appointed themselves as leaders. "Let me ask my question again. How do you know? How do you know that they haven't found some piece of scrape from the plane out there in the ocean and already assume us to be dead? How do you know there are search planes out there, because frankly, I have not spotted one. Boats?" Eric spread his arm towards the ocean surrounding them. "Where? I see nothing but the sea. Nothing above us and nothing rummage around out in the sea. Not one boat, no planes and do my ears deceive me?" Eric wrapped a hand around his left ear. " I hear no radio."

He took a moment to look at each face. It wasn't every day that Eric stunned the group with words, actions yes but not words.

"As we speak, our families could be standing at empty graves with our names engraved in marble. So tell me Daley, Nathan . How do you know?" He folded his arms before him, waiting for their clever answers. Answers he knew would never come. You can't answer something you don't know and being cut off from the world they once knew lead them to know nothing.

"We have to keep hope." Melissa came up to the group. "That's all we have. Each other and hope."

"Which is pathetic in it self." Jackson smirked. "We fight on what to agree on, leading us not agreeing with anything and hope…well it doesn't seem to want to play in the cards we have been handed."

"I don't want to play either." Taylor pouted.

"Nor do any of us." Daley blinked. "But never-the-less, here we are and here we will be until help does come for us. Whether it be this afternoon are months to come. This is what we have, this is who we have and we will surive."

"I'm not too sure." Eric sighed.

"And why not? We have means of making water, we have food. Lex works on the radio and keeping us sane. We can do this." Daley looked at the members of the island.

"For how long?" Eric whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

'A bunch of losers. I am stuck here, in paradise with a bunch of losers.' Eric mumbled to himself as he pushed away long vines hanging limply from the trees. He paused to catch his breath, wiping sweat from his forehead.

Eric had always been in trouble for one thing or for another. He never actually crossed over the line, just swayed too close to the other side once or twice. Each time he was able to talk himself out of the mess or, with his quick wit; he was able to think of a way to reverse what he had done in some sense. However, the island now becomes a prison, punishing him for all his misdeeds of the past. He was scared. The whole place was scary. Being stuck on an island with kids and one adult who seemed just as messed up as the rest, was scary. Life wasn't suppose to be this way, well not until you were old…very old.

Eric slid down to the ground, leaning his head back against the tree that supported his back. Stupid trip. It was the school's fault that he was here. His father was probably suing the school right now. Loading up on cash at Eric's expense. Eric shrugged his shoulders, he couldn't blame his father if that what was going on, after all, he'd do the same thing.

Picking up a near by stick, Eric begun to dig a small hole in the soil. He sat in an area where the sand top soiled the dirt. He added a little water to his hole from the water bottle he carried with him. Soon the hole turned into a thicker salty texture of mud.

"Where is Eric?" Daley stormed towards the small lunch group that circled the fire.

Melissa, Taylor and Nathan glanced at each other and Jackson kept his eyes on his plate.

"I think he went in the forest," Lex spoke up.

"For what?" Daley placed her right hand on her hip.

"I'm not sure." Lex looked up at her, closing one eye against the blaring sun.

"Maybe to hide from his chores." Nathan gave a half smile.

"Maybe to have some time alone." Jackson gave a side-glance at Nathan.

"Maybe he went to the bathroom." Melissa frowned at her fish.

"Maybe he went to gather more food or wood or...water!" Taylor smiled at her friends.

Her friends did not return her smile but instead they just looked at her. Blinking.

"Or maybe not." Taylor quickly responded to the silence.

"Well I'm going to find him." Dailey turned around in time to see Eric running out of the forest.

"Guess you don't need to find him after all." Nathan stood up, brushing the sand off his backside.

Daley turned to look at Nathan, but did not say a word. She closed her eyes while turning her head in Eric's direction before opening them again.

"Guys!" Eric came panting up to them. Once in front of Daley, he bent over and placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "I….I just found." He gulped a breath of air. "A…skull."

"A skull?" Daley glanced around the island.

"Like a human skull?" Lex stood up followed by Jackson.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!!" Taylor covered her mouth.

"No a hamster's skull." Eric sarcasm was clear. "Of course a human skull. Do you think I'd be running to you if it was a duck?"

"Well it's just that apes have similar structure and if…" Lex started.

"Apes? There are apes here!" Taylor stood up and placed herself behind Jackson causing Melissa to glare at the blonde. "Like King Kong apes or like Curious George apes?"

"Curious…err never mind." Daley focused back on Eric. "You sure it was a skull."

"Maybe from the soldier?" Jackson quickly spoke out.

"Where was it?" Lex asked.

"Over there." Eric swept his hands to the jungle that surrounded them.


	3. Chapter 3

A million thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. I really wanted to work on my other stories but...writers block and sometimes writing a about something different can help. Thank you all once again.

Cheers!

**XXXXX**

Even in the pale strains of sand, the bleached white skull stood out, staring up at the group with empty eyes.

"Looks human to me." Eric looked around the quiet group.

Lex bent down into the sand, brushing particulars away from the bone structure in order to loosen the bone from the shadow grave.

"Is he right?" Daley asked her little brother "Is it human?"

Eric looked over at Jackson, "You've killed people before, right? Is it human?"

Jackson turned his glaring eyes at Eric, who held up his hands in defeat.

"Don't be an ass, Eric." Nathan rolled his eyes. "Even if Jackson did, not saying you did just if, the body doesn't instantly turn into a skull."

Lex held up the skull with interest, turning it around in his hand.

"Where's the rest of him?" Taylor looked around on the sandy floor. "I mean, well you know what I mean."

Lex frowned a little before digging around where the skull was laying.

"We live on an island with wild animals." Jackson shrugged, "Maybe the rest of him was dragged off for food."

"Gross…" Taylor wrinkled her nose.

"Maybe he didn't even die here." Nathan looked at the faces that surrounded him. "Jackson's right. Maybe wild animals did drag him, but from where he was actually killed. He might have fallen from a high cliff."

Taylor and Melissa exchanged nervous looks, both experts of hanging on ledges.

"If this is one of the soldiers, then maybe he just died of natural causes." Melissa offered.

"Or maybe for not drinking boiled water." Daley gave Jackson a stern look.

"Or maybe by a bullet." Lex held up a bullet.

"Is that…." Daley grabbed the bullet from Lex's hand.

"Oh my god! He was murdered!" Taylor screamed. Jackson quickly placed his hand over her mouth.

"Now hold on a second…" Nathan held up his hands. "We don't know that for sure."

"If the bullet went in through here," Lex tapped on the side of the skull where a hole was visible, "Then the gun was low to the ground. If it was shot here," he tapped on a hole closer to the top of the skull, "it was higher then the person."

"Which means?" Eric asked.

"He was shot from a tree." Taylor looked up at the tall trees that surrounded them; in fact, they all looked up.

"That might not have happened at all." Everyone looked over at Nathan. "We don't know and we will never know what happen here."

He might have done it to himself." Eric crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe he gave up. Gave up on anyone finding him. Gave up on his friends. Gave up on ever finding away off this island….

Months have gone by and still there is no trace that anyone is looking for us. One by one, I watched this island kill them off. It is as she is alive, her long invisible arms snatching sailors out of the sea, pilots out of the sky and brining them to her sandy grounds of paradise.

Oh but this is no paradise, only a costume to cover what she really is, a murderess. The creatures that call her home, feed upon my fellow prisoners and me. The insects keep biting; the vines grow and twine their rough texture tentacles around our ankles, dragging us closer to the forest. We crave to enter the thick wooded area but our fears forbid us. For among the trees, eyes are always watching, staring and waiting for us.

Then, one by one, she murders them with her tempting fruits, her sickly water. One by one I watch my friends pass away, begging me to have mercy and end their long torment. I fail to do so and instead I am sentence to watch them suffer, to watch them grow thin, to beg, to hear their cries until she finally silence them.

I cannot take it. Tonight it will end. Tonight I will face down the bullet and let this island take my body but my soul will rise above her and finally leave her clutches.

"Shut up Eric, you're scaring Lex." Daley swatted Eric on the back of the head.

"No he isn't." Lex looked up at his sister.

"Well he's scaring me." Taylor frowned.

"Maybe it didn't happen like that." Nathan smiled, now into the game.

I never thought I would make it from the crash. The enemy shot down my plane and just when I thought I would hit the water, she slid onto the beach. I am not sure how long I had been out, but when I awoke, my friends were kneeling beside me, caring to the injuries that I suffered. I looked up at them with one eyes, the other bandaged, and saw that they too were covered in gauze to help protect the injuries that they suffered.

"Don't move. Just lie still." They hushed over me as I try to speak. I was able to take a one-eye view of the territory and right away, I found myself staring into the jungle. The leaning trees, the shadows that ran along the edge of dirt and sand. I hated it on sight, it frighten me. Could the enemies be lurking inside those shadows…?

"This is taking us no where." Daley cut Nathan off. "Let's look at the facts. We know that there were solders here on the island. We found the letters and we found the dog tags. Solders carried guns…"

"And hand grenades." Eric nodded his head. The others looked on the ground.

"Oh I hope not." Daley could just imagine her brother getting his hands on one of those or worse, Nathan. That boy was not to be trusted around guns or anything that will blow up.

"If he was the only person on the island, then wouldn't the gun be here?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, if he was the only person that was here." Eric told her. "We don't know that he wasn't."

"It doesn't matter." Melissa shrugged, "If anyone was here with him, they'd be dead by now. No one can reach a long life living out here away from…everything."

Jackson bent down to look at the skull in Lex's hand. "Can you tell if it was shot at close range or from a distance?"

Lex shook his head. "I'm not a forensic. Although I have to admit that I am really interested in their science ability and one day I may look into that field for employment…"

"What if the apes got them?" Taylor asked.

"What apes?" Eric asked.

"The apes that the err…" Taylor shook her head. "Never mind. Wrong subject."

"Try and keep up with us." Melissa rolled her eyes at the blonde.

"So which solider do you think he was? The one that wrote the letter or one of his friends?" Nathan asked.

"Celica Anne Akron." Jackson mumbled.

"They didn't allow girls to be soldiers' way back then." Daley shook her head.

Jackson jerked up his hand and held up a plastic card. "Celica Anne Akron from California. Date of Birth, May 24, 1965."

"Oh shit." Nathan took the driver's license from Jackson's outstretched hands. "I remember seeing an old newspaper article on her. I was doing a report when I ran across her name."

"This isn't good." Melissa backed away from the skull. Lex stared at it for a moment before dropping it.

"She went missing in 1982 during spring break." Nathan bit his bottom lip.

"On the good note, someone knows this island is here." Eric shrugged his shoulders. "The bad note is whoever that person is, they are also a murder."

"We still don't know if she done this to herself." Jackson rose from the ground.

Taylor walked over the middle of the group to reach Jackson. "I know I'm not the smartest person here but if you found her driver's license then her body must not be too far."

"Unless the murder shoved her license in her mouth." Eric titled his head. "I don't see what the point would be for that."

"We could be standing on her body." Melissa backed away from the skull. "What do we do?"

"We are not going to dig her up." Daley looked over at the group. "There is no point; you do not know what kind of germs lay with her. Don't get smart, Eric." Daley turned to give Eric a warning glare, "The dead carries germs. Rotting flesh carries germs. This sight is unsanitary."

"Plus if we do get rescued, we would be messing up a crime scene." Lex added.

**XXXXX**

The small group sat silently around the campfire. The insects were chirping in the jungle and birds crying to be heard echo the island.

Nathan worried that the murder was still around. Most likely if the murder was stuck on the island like the rest; the gun long ago used the last of the bullet. However, it does not take a gun for a murder to kill.

Daley worried also about the killer living on the island, becoming more barbaric with every year that passed. The skull did show that this was not a recent murder but what if there was more. What if this was a dumping ground for a serial killer?

What if on the night of the spring break, a boat full of girls landed on the island? Granted, they were old but the more Eric thought about it, the more he was sure that the ladies would not care about age. Just man meat. Maybe he would be generous and take two at a time…

Lex was sure the plane crash was now broadcasting on the news. Their faces pasted all over the papers, possibility of their location may trigger the killer's mind, and he would come back to the island.

A safe place may be what they needed. A place to hide, Jackson thought. Just in case, the wrong kind of people comes looking for them. Most likely Jackson and Nathan would die…of course Eric. No one would put up with him. Lex may be spared; then again, he may not. And the girls? Jackson ran his hand through his thick hair. He did not even want to think of what could happen to them.

She knows I like him. Why is she sitting so close to him? Why all the sudden all this flirtatious invitation? If they were back home, she would not have even had batted an eyelash his way. I did. Melissa glared over at Taylor. She could have any person she wanted with a snap of the finger…well if they were back home. Why did she have to pick my guy?

Why is she staring at me. Do I have something in my hair? Between my teeth? Taylor placed a hand over her mouth. I bet if I smile as Jackson, he would tell me if something was stuck between my teeth. Taylor flashed Jackson one of her nice smiles. He gave her a puzzled look but returned her smile. Nope, nothing between my teeth. Hmmm, Jackson has a nice smile. Taylor Jackson…that does not sound so bad. Mrs. Taylor Jackson….


End file.
